Dick Vitale believes the Knicks have made a mistake.
As the Knicks continue the search for their newest head coach, Vitale, 86, jumped into the conversation surrounding the hiring process, and is seemingly not thrilled with how the team is going about it.
The longtime ESPN college basketball broadcaster suggested the best coach for the Knicks was the one they just fired, calling their search “embarrassing.”
“Embarrassing describes the mess in hiring a coach by the @nyknicks front office,” Vitale wrote on X on Thursday. “They had a guy who has done a quality job in Tom Thibodeau if making a change should have your choice guy committed.
“Being humiliated with all they have sought is pathetic/hire Tom back!”
The Knicks have been the recipient of much criticism from figures in sports media since firing Tom Thibodeau on June 3, with ex-NBA coach P.J. Carlesimo declaring that the team is “their own worst enemy” during a podcast appearance Tuesday.
“The Knicks always think they’re smarter than everybody else, that’s the Knick philosophy,” Carlesimo said on the “Ryen Russillo podcast.”
“They think they’re different and we’re smarter than all these other teams and we know what we’re doing, and I would say they’re normally the opposite. They’re often times their own worst enemy.”
During his five-year tenure as Knicks head coach, Thibodeau, 67, led the team to the playoffs four times, along with their first Eastern Conference finals appearance in 25 years.
Thibodeau finally broke his silence on the Knicks’ decision to fire him on Wednesday in an ad placed in the New York Times.
“To the best city in the world with the best fans in the world: Thank you,” Thibodeau wrote.
“When I was hired in 2020, I said this was my dream job. I am grateful that dreams became a reality. Thank you to our players and coaching staff who gave everything they had, and to everyone who makes this franchise special. I am proud of everything we accomplished together, including four playoff appearances and this year’s run to the Eastern Conference finals — our first in 25 years.
“And to the fans, thank you for believing in me and embracing me from day one. Watching you support our team, and seeing the Garden ignite with that incomparable Knicks energy, is something I will never forget.”